Why Operational Discipline, Not Expansion, Defines a Scalable Telecom Business

Shyryn Bekbol, founder and CEO of Altek, built and personally led an operating model that scaled a small field team into a multi-state telecom contractor trusted by major providers. 

Most people only think about their internet connection when it suddenly stops working. But behind every stable line or quick installation is a long chain of decisions made by technicians, managers, and the contractors who support major providers. This year, the telecom infrastructure market is expected to reach more than $211 billion, driven by the growing need for reliable fibre networks and faster service. At the same time, industry studies show that one of the biggest risks operators face today is not technology itself, but the lack of trustworthy, well-trained field teams. Industry research shows that reliability and responsiveness remain the strongest predictors of how users judge service quality. As expectations rise, even small lapses can quickly erode trust.

In this environment, leadership decisions around structure, accountability, and execution increasingly determine whether contractors can scale without losing trust, says Shyryn Bekbol, founder of Altek. The company specializes in the installation, modernization, and maintenance of fiber, coax, and low-voltage systems for major telecom providers. When she started the company, it was a small field team taking on limited-scope assignments. Under Shyryn’s leadership, the organization grew from an initial group of two to three technicians into a structured operation of over 90 professional technicians, capable of handling complex, high-volume projects that require accuracy, coordinated management, and strict adherence to deadlines. Shyryn’s approach to leadership has also been recognized outside the company, which led to her participation in the Jury Board of the international Cases&Faces awards in 2025. There, among other industry professionals, she selected the best specialists and solutions in technology and innovations.

Rather than pursuing rapid expansion, Shyryn deliberately focused on building disciplined internal processes first. She delayed scaling until reporting, task planning, and field standards were clearly defined, treating operational stability as a prerequisite for growth rather than a by-product of it.

In fields where the work happens out of sight, progress often depends on the systems that support daily tasks rather than on big, visible milestones. That is why Altek’s development was shaped not by rapid expansion but by the gradual establishment of clear, disciplined processes, while the value of stable internal routines becomes especially clear. When Shyryn started Altek, the company was built around just two or three technicians handling limited-scope assignments. At that stage, growth was not a priority. The immediate task was to understand how to deliver work that partners could rely on without constant supervision or corrective cycles. Shyryn, as a leader, spent considerable time making sure the internal workflow was stable. She introduced simple but essential routines like consistent reporting, clear task planning, and a shared understanding of how each stage of installation should look. These early decisions changed how the team worked day-to-day and made the company more predictable. Over time, that focus on structure rather than speed reshaped how the company operated. Instead of working directly with end customers, Altek positioned itself as a technical contractor within a partner-driven model. This structure was a strategic decision by Shyryn, allowing the company to concentrate fully on execution quality and field discipline rather than short-term sales volume. She led the company to the present-day collaboration with four to five core partners, including one affiliated subsidiary, who bring projects and client relationships.

As the workload increased, the team scaled cautiously. Each new crew was integrated into the same operational framework designed by Shyryn, ensuring consistent performance regardless of project size or location. The expansion followed the same logic as the company’s early decisions: only after processes were stable and expectations clearly defined.

Shyryn’s decision to control the pace of growth proved critical. For telecom providers and their primary contractors, reliability at scale matters more than speed. By the time Altek began handling large, complex installations, the company was already perceived as a disciplined operational unit capable of integrating into corporate delivery chains.

A glimpse of this mindset appeared during a fiber-optic rewire project for a 120-unit residential building in South Dakota. During the site walk-through, Altek’s project manager identified long-term reliability risks in the initial layout. Instead of following a plan that could fail over time, the team proposed an alternative solution aligned with Shyryn’s expectation that crews proactively manage operational risk on behalf of clients.

At the next point, the primary challenge became proving that the company could work at the level that major telecom providers expect. Entering this tier involved strict checks, documentation requirements, and discipline. Shyryn personally oversaw preparation for these audits, viewing them as tests of organizational maturity rather than formal requirements. As the expert recalls, “The hardest stage was simply being allowed to show what we could do. Large companies only trust teams that show stability from the beginning.” Passing audits and meeting early deadlines became the company’s first opportunities to demonstrate that stability.

Securing the company’s first major contract confirmed that her approach worked in practice. Delivering the project without delays or corrective cycles signaled to the client that the company could operate reliably. “When we finished that first big project on time, it taught me that if clients know what to expect from you, they come back,” she says. Consequently, new, more demanding assignments soon followed. In an industry driven by long-term relationships rather than one-off jobs, such trust is a crucial asset.

One of those large-scale assignments in Minnesota illustrates how this trust is earned. While completing a fiber-splicing project for a national telecom operator, Altek discovered discrepancies between blueprints and on-site conditions. Because Shyryn had delegated decision-making authority within a clearly defined framework, the team was able to resolve the issue on-site and complete the project within days rather than weeks.

A great deal of this consistency came from the internal methodology Shyryn developed early in the company’s history. Rather than relying on individual habits, she created a proprietary internal framework covering preparation, installation, communication, and quality control, which became the foundation of predictable performance.

Her approach gradually drew interest from outside the company. “I didn’t design the methodology for others,” she says. “But when people saw that our work looked the same no matter which crew handled it, they started asking how we organized things.” Over time, managers and subcontractors began incorporating elements of her system into their own processes. Requests for advice were directed to Shyryn as the author of the system, not simply to the company as a contractor.

As the president of the company, Shyryn continued strengthening the organization by formalizing training modules aligned with installation standards and communication protocols. This ensured that different crews delivered the same level of precision even under varying site conditions. They also contributed to the company’s financial stability, as predictable performance reduced the errors and delays that often impact field-service budgets. For many small and mid-sized contractors, this type of stability is what allows them to grow without overextending.

“People work better when expectations are clear,” she notes. “Clarity reduces stress. It also reduces mistakes.” This leadership-driven approach reduced operational risk, improved cost predictability, and supported sustainable growth.

Today, Altek continues to rely on the same principles that shaped its early years: clear processes, disciplined execution, and predictable outcomes. Her strategic priorities include refining the operating model, strengthening leadership training, and expanding into new regions without compromising execution discipline.

Through disciplined leadership and deliberate decision-making, Shyryn Bekbol created a scalable telecom contractor trusted by major providers, demonstrating how CEO-led operational discipline can outperform rapid expansion in a high-stakes infrastructure industry.

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